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TRP: Goro and Sugar (Roommates)
Setting The Sugar Glider, late afternoon. Goro's first stop is to check on the cats. Cinnamon is curled up in her straw bed along with her kittens. Goro gives each of them some chin scratches. There's Pumpkin the Second, Eggs, Clove, Nutmeg (his secret favorite), Butterscotch, Biscuit, and... hang on a second. Where's Salt? Goro searches all around the bed, but there's no sign of little Salt. "What'd you do with her?" he asks Cinnamon. She purrs and gives him a squinty-eyed look, apparently unaware one of her children is missing. Goro sets off in search of the missing kitten. He scours the lower deck and the hold. Notably, he can't find any sign of Sugar, either. When he returns to the main deck and checks the cat bed again, he finds Salt, nursing along with his six siblings, like he'd been hiding there invisible all along. "What the hell," Goro mutters. "I'm gonna rename you Mishka." He takes a step back and frowns around the empty deck. "Sugar?" he calls. "Where are you?" Player 1: Over on the side of the ship, there's a pile of her clothes. There's a pair of newly-bought, calf-skin, dark leather high-heeled boots sitting next to the pile of clothes. Next to it is the rope ladder. Normally, the rope ladder is down to help anyone who falls into the water, but today it's up, neatly rolled up into a bundle. There is silence, then quiet sniffling from down in the water, over the side of the ship. Player 2: Hesitantly, ready to pull back in case she's not wearing any clothes, Goro peers over the side. "Sugar?" Player 1: Sugar is in the water, wearing her underclothes. Her face is red and twisted up. She's clinging to a piece of ornamentation on the ship. "Can you, um." She scrubs her face with her hand. Her voice is fine. "Can you p-put the ladder back down?" Player 2: "Oh, good gods, okay, fuck." Goro frantically picks up the rope ladder and tosses it, unfurling it over the side. "Are you alright? Do you need me to come down there?" Player 1: "N-no, I'm fine. It's f-fine." She grabs hold of the ladder and scrambles up the side of the ship. She snags her clothes as soon as she gets up to the top of the ship and grips them tight to her chest, clearly embarrassed. She has small translucent white scales on her shoulders, trailing up the back of her neck. She glances around, sees only Goro is around, and seems relieved. "Did, um, you see anyone when you came by?" Player 2: "Just the cats." Goro turns to the side, shielding his eyes with one hand. "You should put some clothes on. What the hell were you doing down there?" Player 1: Her face looks hot and angry. "I was trying to get, um, better at swimming." She motions. "No one was around, so I thought it was okay. I rolled the ladder down and went in for a while, and then someone put it up." She scrubs her face again. "He thought it was funny." For a second, her voice tears, all angry. She edges towards the captain's quarters. Once she's in, she checks it thoroughly. "Can you-- stand outside while I shut the door?" Player 2: Goro moves toward the door. "Yeah. Sure. Who rolled up the ladder?" Player 1: "I don't know," she mutters, angrily, but she doesn't seem to think it's true. "He thinks I'm cute," she bites out. She slams the door shut behind her. There's a cold mark of frost where her hand was. It only takes a couple moments for her to dress, and then she's back out again. She's barefoot, holding the fine leather boots in one hand, and her hair is still soaked. She's wearing a nice dress, though, with her neck-- and the scales-- covered by a high back collar. She seems tense, like she's not letting her guard down. Player 2: "What's he look like? Describe him to me. Is he in the Guild?" Player 1: Sugar bites the corner of her mouth angrily. She stares at her feet. Then bites out, "It's Jonn. Hansel's been helping me f-fix up the ship, he's been so nice. And... his son, um, Jonn moved in right after you did with, with the big tortle one. I don't know if you've--talked to them." She's crying now, angrily. She goes into the captain's quarters and grabs a wet cloth, the same wet cloth she used to towel her hair, and cools it with her hand, then wipes her face with it. "It's fine," she says. "Mishka says it's j-just... jokes." Player 2: Goro grinds his teeth. Hansel's son. That was no good; he couldn't go killing a colleague's child. Maybe he could pay someone to make his life miserable for a while. Then leave a cryptic note, Mishka-style. Realizing he's getting carried away by this revenge fantasy, Goro turns his attention back to Sugar. "I'd've thought you could give him a piece of your mind, given..." He gestures to the frosty handprint she left on the door. "What's he got on you? He's not a sorcerer, is he?" Player 1: "Nothing. Mishka says he's harmless and I shouldn't hurt him. It's just pranks," she says again. "It's not like-- hurting. I mean, a couple of them--" She bits her lip. "I don't want to stab him in the chest with an icicle," she mutters. "Well. I mean. I want to. But Mishka says I am a dignified sorceress and Jonn won't hurt me. I don't think he knows he's being mean. Jonn.... really thinks it's funny. He always laughs about it." Player 2: Ah, fuck. Goro really wants to hurt him now. Really, really would like to give him a piece of his mind. Maybe he could just start with a stern conversation. Yeah, that was the way to go. Didn't have to escalate to violence. Just threats of violence. "I'll talk with him for you," Goro says, smiling and trying not to sound too sinister. Dimly, he recalls a time when Amari told him most people don't appreciate someone turning murderous on their behalf. What would Amari do in this situation? "Uh, you said you're trying to get better at swimming?" Player 1: "Yes. I fell in the other day. Someone had to jump in to get me. Twice." Her arms are stiff and she's standing on the other side of the room. "I th-thought... I could teach myself. Normally Mishka teaches me things, but he doesn't like coming down here." There's a book open on the table detailing spells. She shuts it with a snap and shoves it in the drawer. Sugar claimed the captain's quarters, which was still fairly small, maybe ten feet by fifteen. She'd brought in fancy things, though, a rich silk bedspread and a pink canopy she's rigged herself. She seems tense, having him in here. She glances at the door, which is still open. "I don't want to go back in the water," she mutters. "Maybe if there was somewhere shallower." Player 2: Goro knows someone on edge when he sees it. He takes a hint and backs toward the door. "Sorry, it's getting stuffy in here. Uh, I could... shit." He was planning to enjoy an evening to himself, but damn it, he started down the what-would-Amari-do track and now he's stuck. "I mean, I could help you. With swimming. I'm not great myself, but I can show you the basics. But yeah, you sure as hell have to start shallow. Not sure what you were thinking." Player 1: "No, don't--" She seems surprised and unhappy Goro is heading towards the door. Then takes a breath. "Can you, um, shut that?" It does feel stuffy. She goes to the porthole windows and opens them, instead, so that Goro will stay longer. Player 2: Goro pauses, hand on the door. His eyes shift back and forth. What the fuck? Well, whatever. He shuts the door. Player 1: "Sometimes he hangs around outside the door," she mutters. She crosses her arms. Now that the door is shut, she says, "If you wanted to keep someone out of your room, or... like... you wanted an alarm if someone... came in... how would you do that?" Player 2: Goro's grinding his teeth again. She is not making this don't-kill-Jonn goal very easy to attain. "There's a few ways. You start with the little things and work your way up. Here, let's take a look at your lock." He opens the door again, just long enough to examine the latch, then shuts it. "Deadbolt? Yeah, no. Easy as pie to pick. So there's step one, some better locks. A few different kinds. You want a really good one, visit a wizard and have them set you up with something that'll electrocute anyone who tries to pick it. Then for an alarm, you've got your bell over the door, naturally." Goro eyes the top of the door. "Nope. You don't. Get one, and on top of that, while you're getting an electrified lock from a wizard have them set you up with an Alarm spell you can recharge each night. It'll cost you, but I bet Ripley'll front you the money if you explain what you're after. Then, you need your tell." He goes to the table, shifts things around until he finds a paper that doesn't look terribly important. He tears a piece off the corner and takes it to the door. He opens the door, checks outside for anyone who might be watching, then shuts the door again with the piece of paper hiding between the door and the frame. "Do that when you leave for the day and when you're turning in for the night. You ever find the paper on the floor, you'll know someone breached your security." Player 1: Sugar's eyes slowly widen as he starts to explain all of this. She nods. Then, partway through, she holds up a perfectly-manicured finger, stop hims, and yanks out the book from earlier. She sits at the desk and starts writing it down in a bulleted list. The book is thick, old, and dog-eared. It looks like she's filled it with precisely-organized material, thorough and exact notes with proper headings and citations. It's all in her handwriting. When Goro is done talking, she's still writing, but she remembers every word and writes it down precisely. Player 2: Goro blinks, surprised, when he gets a look at the contents of her book. He may have underestimated this girl. "Anyway, that's a start. You might also consider hiring a creature to keep watch for you. Or just a really mean dog." He pauses. "You know, there's a spell called Sending. If you don't know it already, you might learn it. Let me know if you ever need help, and I'll be there. I mean, no promises. I might not be around. Might be busy. But if I can, I'll come." Player 1: She gets a little stiff when he says that. She puts down the pen. "I don't need you to look after me," she says. "I'm not actually stupid." She bites her tongue, starts to say something else, then stops. Player 2: "I don't think you're stupid," he says quickly. "I just mean, that's what crewmates do, isn't it? We look out for each other. I like to think you'd do the same for me." Player 1: "I'm sorry." Her face looks hot again. "I'm being mean. You didn't mean it that way. It isn't your fault, anyhow. You know, I--" Her face looks even hotter, now. "People like me better when they think I'm stupid," she finally says, without looking at him. "So I act stupid a lot on purpose. That's all." Player 2: One corner of Goro's mouth quirks up. "You know, I'm not surprised. Good on you. If someone doesn't like you just because you're smart, they deserve to be taken for a ride." Player 1: Sugar is still the same shade of pink. "Don't tell anyone about the book," she says. "It's, um, private. I make notes with Mishka teaches me magic. And other things, sometimes, too." She ducks her head. "I'm sorry I got mad. It's just-- I'm being petty. I'm so angry at that boy. Jonn. I can't tell if he's... being mean on purpose, or.... I mean, I could've drowned, and I kept telling him that, and he just laughed and walked away-- and Mishka says he's harmless, Mishka says I'm over-thinking it--" She takes a shakey breath. "Anyway. Don't, um, tell Mishka I asked you about... alarms and keeping people out of my bedroom. He'll think I'm being foolish. Those are all, um, really good tricks." Player 2: "As a rule, Sugar? I don't tell anyone anything." Goro frowns. "How the hell do you know Mishka?" Player 1: "Oh," Sugar says. "Well... one time I got lost when I was small, and I found a bar, and... a man with long hair saw I was lost and sat with me. He was-- nice, and nobody else was. He let me teach him a magic trick. He said his name was Mikhail but I ought to call him Mishka because everyone did. He sat with me until my mom came looking. He said he liked my scales." She looks away again. "Anyway-- he used to visit me all the time when he came to port. He'd bring me things from Calimport. Silks." She hesitates, then says, "Um. I know-- some people in the Guild don't like him, but... he's a lot nicer than he pretends to be. He wrote me letters for a long time. When my mom kicked me out, he found me and put me in his house." She glanced at Goro from the corners of her eyes. "He says you're interesting." Player 2: Goro's eyes widen for the briefest instant. "He's told you about me?" Player 1: "Yes. He told me a story about you paying him to help him poison someone. He also says Hansel's good and I ought to stick around Hansel," she says. "But, um, I also heard a thing about Hansel eating people?" Player 2: "That boy can not keep his fucking mouth shut. Noted. Sugar, don't tell him any secrets, alright? He loves the sound of his own voice too much." Player 1: "I like how he talks," Sugar says, and smiles against her will. Her hair is drying, getting curly as it does. "I'm not going to tell anyone. Sorry." Player 2: "And uh." Goro gives her another crooked smile. "How good are you at keeping secrets?" Player 1: "No one asks me anything," Sugar says. "I doubt they'd take it seriously if I did. Why?" Her eyes are wide. She wants to know. Player 2: "No shit? You seem pretty trustworthy to me. I'd take you seriously." He shrugs. "No reason. I've got a lot of secrets, is all. I like to know who I can trust with them, and who I can't." Player 1: "How do you know Mishka?" she asks curiously. "I mean-- he didn't say. He says Ripley steps around him." Player 2: "She does. Ripley steps around a lot of things. Afraid of getting her feet dirty, you might say." He smiles. "I'm not. So I help Ripley out, when I can. I figured she could use someone who was in contact with Mishka, so I sought him out. He's the interesting one, if you ask me." Player 1: "I'm going to tell him you said that," Sugar says, amused. Player 2: His smile vanishes. "Just--no--Sugar, don't. Don't tell anyone anything I say to you, alright? Ripley trusts me. Trade secrets, you get what I'm saying?" Player 1: "Oh. I'm sorry. I thought-- I thought we were kidding. I won't," she says, a little caught off-guard. She folds her legs up on the bed. "I understand. Um, you know, you seem like you're-- sort've on her side? And I'm-- sort've on Mishka's side. That's fine, though. I don't see a problem with that." Player 2: "Me neither. I'd like to get them on the same side, if I can swing it." Goro pauses, frowning, and carefully bites his own tongue. God damn it, there was something about this girl that made him run his mouth off. "Don't tell anyone I said that. Alright?" Player 1: "I meant I was going to tell him you thought he was interesting," Sugar says, amused. "You really don't want me to?" Player 2: "I really don't. And in return, I'll do you the favor of not telling him about the new pages of notes you added to your book today. Sound fair?" Player 1: "Wow, you got me there," she says. "Alright." She chew her lip. "I wonder if I could learn that spell you said, do it whenever I liked. Or... some kind of magic item, maybe, that would let me cast it? Do you know where I could buy magic items? I don't have a lot of gold, though. Maybe someplace that does discounts--" Player 2: "Uhhhh." He shakes his head. "No. Actually, let me do some research for you. I'll find you a place. A nice honest salesperson." Player 1: “Um— okay. I’ll ask around too.” She hesitates here, then grimaces. She looks around the room, which is pretty big, and seems to be thinking something over. “I want to ask you something, but I don’t want you to make fun of me,” she says, staring at the floor. Player 2: "I won't make fun." It's all he says, but he looks dead serious. Player 1: “Those are lots of good tricks you told me. But,” she says, then pauses a long time. “I would feel better if, um. You know, there’s... other beds in the ship.... and we could move... another one up here. And you could— have the same room as me.” Her hands fist in the covers. Player 1: “You can say no,” she adds quickly. “Sorry.” Player 2: Goro doesn't move or say anything for a long time. He turns slightly pink. "I... need my own space. I like my privacy. But I don't care where I sleep. I can come up here at night, sure." Player 1: “Okay. That sounds good.” Then she says, quickly, “it’s not just him. I’m sorry, I’m sure I’m making him sound awful. He really is funny. I don’t even know him much, and lots of people like him. You know— I’m just over-sensitive sometimes, I think.” She gets up. Her hair is done drying, and she ties it up. It’s a little stiff with salt. “D’you want to go looking for a shallow spot with me? I’ve got a new trick I’m practicing and I could do it as we walked.” Player 2: "Uh, Sugar." He points out the window at the vanishing light. "It's nighttime. I suppose we can both see well enough, but uh... there's some unsavory types who come out at night, frankly I'd rather not be up on the docks when they start emerging." He reaches for the door, and turns reddish again. "Tomorrow, we'll move a bed? Yeah. Tomorrow. But I'll be downstairs tonight if you need me. I'm not a deep sleeper." Player 1: “Okay. Thanks.” As soon as he was gone, she tied the door shut. She locked the deadbolt, even though he’d said it would be easy to pick— it was better than nothing. She sat down and went over the list three times each to remember it. New locks. Trapped keyhole. Rechargeable alarm spell. A piece of paper in the door when she was gone. She mentally mapped out the route from her room to where Goro slept downstairs. Then she went to bed, closed the canopy, and slept a little easier. END Category:Text Roleplay